Home delivery of food has gone from being an accessory service to revolutionizing the concept of catering and the use of meals.
In fact, food delivery platforms have sanctioned the take-off of hybrid consumption , in which products and services are sometimes indistinguishable. These operators now have a brand as strong as established restaurants, and have accommodated what appears to be inexhaustible market demand in the days of the gig economy.
According to a report presented during Mapic Food , an international event dedicated to commercial catering chains and players held in Milan in May, today the food delivery industry is worth $35 billion worldwide, with an estimated annual growth by 20 percent.
It should therefore come as no surprise that a giant like Amazon has entered the world of home delivery meals. The company has in fact entered with 575 million dollars in the capital of Deliveroo which, in turn, is the largest food delivery company, which grew by 117% between 2017 and 2018. To date, it employs a total of 60,000 riders and serves approximately 80,000 restaurants.
Glovo , on the other hand, the Spanish startup of on-demand couriers, is going beyond the delivery of ready meals by investing in vertical foodstuffs, building so-called dark stores (shops not open to the public, for online delivery only) which make it possible to deliver shopping to customers within 20 minutes of ordering.
Even in Italy, food delivery is the economic sector that has experienced the greatest expansion in recent years, with an even geometric progression, both in terms of economic value and of people involved. According to Censis , 3.8 million Italians regularly resort to home delivery of food.
Restaurants are integrating more and more technological solutions into their activities, trying to find the right balance between the efficiency brought by innovation and the personal and human touch.
Food delivery represents potentially infinite additional covers for restaurant businesses, albeit with some differences.
The Just Eat platform, in fact, deals exclusively with putting customers and restaurants in touch that already have a home delivery service; other operators such as Foodora and Deliveroo , on the other hand, offer a delivery service for restaurants that originally did not provide delivery.
This enormous increase in demand has given the impetus towards a new kitchen model, devoted on the one hand to preserving the quality of the consumption experience within the restaurant and on the other not to jeopardize the development of new business opportunities.
At the moment, the phenomenon of dark kitchens , "closed" kitchens designed only for the production of dishes for home delivery, is expanding. These have also found application within corporate realities, which from canteens have moved on to introducing duly equipped corners where you can buy and consume your own dish
ready.
Considering the lower business risk, which eliminates the costs of renting premises and equipment and other operating expenses such as utilities, operating costs and personnel, the question is currently whether dark kitchens will change the balance of the sector food and the role of operators.
After all, home delivery of food has been around for decades, but to what do we owe this boom?
First of all, the target food delivery platforms are aimed at is different from local competitors who deliver privately. The service is often used by a category of people with a good salary , with little time available to devote to cooking, but also by millennials , who use apps and are used to having everything within reach of their smartphones.
Another strong point is, then, the ease of payment, which takes place by credit card or PayPal, with the possibility of registering one's data to facilitate any future payments.
The ability to order food and pay for it with just a few clicks at any time has its consequences on the flexibility required of workers, especially riders . Many discussions are underway, on multiple levels and in multiple countries, to guarantee them contractual and safety protections. The Italian company Mymenu , for example, has signed the charter
of the rights of digital workers of the Municipality of Bologna.
So here is a picture of what is happening in the restaurant world.
Do you use food delivery companies? Which?
If you want to offer a quick and quality service in your restaurant that can compete with home delivery, try the fast cooking of Combi Wave Smart.
In fact, food delivery platforms have sanctioned the take-off of hybrid consumption , in which products and services are sometimes indistinguishable. These operators now have a brand as strong as established restaurants, and have accommodated what appears to be inexhaustible market demand in the days of the gig economy.
The numbers of food delivery
According to a report presented during Mapic Food , an international event dedicated to commercial catering chains and players held in Milan in May, today the food delivery industry is worth $35 billion worldwide, with an estimated annual growth by 20 percent.
It should therefore come as no surprise that a giant like Amazon has entered the world of home delivery meals. The company has in fact entered with 575 million dollars in the capital of Deliveroo which, in turn, is the largest food delivery company, which grew by 117% between 2017 and 2018. To date, it employs a total of 60,000 riders and serves approximately 80,000 restaurants.
Glovo , on the other hand, the Spanish startup of on-demand couriers, is going beyond the delivery of ready meals by investing in vertical foodstuffs, building so-called dark stores (shops not open to the public, for online delivery only) which make it possible to deliver shopping to customers within 20 minutes of ordering.
Even in Italy, food delivery is the economic sector that has experienced the greatest expansion in recent years, with an even geometric progression, both in terms of economic value and of people involved. According to Censis , 3.8 million Italians regularly resort to home delivery of food.
Increase the covers or differentiate the services?
Restaurants are integrating more and more technological solutions into their activities, trying to find the right balance between the efficiency brought by innovation and the personal and human touch.
Food delivery represents potentially infinite additional covers for restaurant businesses, albeit with some differences.
The Just Eat platform, in fact, deals exclusively with putting customers and restaurants in touch that already have a home delivery service; other operators such as Foodora and Deliveroo , on the other hand, offer a delivery service for restaurants that originally did not provide delivery.
This enormous increase in demand has given the impetus towards a new kitchen model, devoted on the one hand to preserving the quality of the consumption experience within the restaurant and on the other not to jeopardize the development of new business opportunities.
At the moment, the phenomenon of dark kitchens , "closed" kitchens designed only for the production of dishes for home delivery, is expanding. These have also found application within corporate realities, which from canteens have moved on to introducing duly equipped corners where you can buy and consume your own dish
ready.
Considering the lower business risk, which eliminates the costs of renting premises and equipment and other operating expenses such as utilities, operating costs and personnel, the question is currently whether dark kitchens will change the balance of the sector food and the role of operators.
What has changed?
After all, home delivery of food has been around for decades, but to what do we owe this boom?
First of all, the target food delivery platforms are aimed at is different from local competitors who deliver privately. The service is often used by a category of people with a good salary , with little time available to devote to cooking, but also by millennials , who use apps and are used to having everything within reach of their smartphones.
Another strong point is, then, the ease of payment, which takes place by credit card or PayPal, with the possibility of registering one's data to facilitate any future payments.
The ability to order food and pay for it with just a few clicks at any time has its consequences on the flexibility required of workers, especially riders . Many discussions are underway, on multiple levels and in multiple countries, to guarantee them contractual and safety protections. The Italian company Mymenu , for example, has signed the charter
of the rights of digital workers of the Municipality of Bologna.
So here is a picture of what is happening in the restaurant world.
Do you use food delivery companies? Which?
If you want to offer a quick and quality service in your restaurant that can compete with home delivery, try the fast cooking of Combi Wave Smart.